Practice Makes Perfect? (Part One)

My town offered a 4-week beginners triathlon swimming course... rather, it is offering, as the first class was Wednesday evening. It's a nice, small group of beginners, some who have done a few sprint triathlons, most who have their first planned in the months to come. I fall into the latter. Mine is in September.

It is being taught by a seasoned veteran to swimming. She is a local swim instructor who holds the record in some 1 and 2 mile cables. She shares this with us as part of her introduction to who she is. I respond with the obligatory "wow," silently wondering if I'm the only one who has no idea what a cable is. It sounds very impressive.

After the intro we don our goggles and caps and make out way into the pond. It is comfortably warm, which is lucky as I do not have a wet suit yet. Not sure if I should thank the string of 90 degree days we have enjoyed for warming the water, or the plethora of children recently swimming in it. Either way, comfy. Our instructor shows us a few techniques to swimming properly, explaining their significance to triathlons, before having us practice them.

A few things strike me as I train with these strangers, these people who are walking out of their comfort zones, who have made the unconscious decision to age aggressively:

1. None of these people have a triathletes body. These people are your run-o-the-mill, average, everyday folks. I like them immediately. I know it's the beginning of their journey to aggressive awesomeness.

2. None of these people come off as pompous or filled with an over-inflated sense of self. One has a comic confidence; another, an infectious joy. Most are timid but ready to fling themselves into the mix with apprehensive abandon.

3. All of these people can swim better than me. They all seem to flow with the grace of a seal cutting through the water. At least this is how I imagine it. It's hard to see people while choking on pee-infused lake water. It's damn nigh impossible to see them through my epileptic splashing, which I have always referred to as swimming. Damn.

We ended our training session with a final group huddle. Our instructor gave us our homework which is due next week. "Practice what you learned today," she said encouragingly. I might need more than that.

The old adage is "practice makes perfect." By September I am hoping for "practice prevents drowning."